Syrian-born Subhi Nahas knows he is lucky to be alive. A gay man, he understood that his life was in danger every moment in his homeland.

“If you’re discovered by your family, they cut all ties,” he told a packed house at a San Francisco Jewish Film Festival event held at the Castro Theatre last weekend. “Many people were killed because they’re gay, and that makes me feel responsible” to speak out.

Nahas, who now lives in San Francisco, joined the July 22 panel discussion that followed screenings of two films on the topic of refugees, past and present.

Nahas, who founded Spectra Project, an organization that helps LGBTQ refugees resettle in the United States, spoke in favor of admitting more refugees, despite the Trump administration’s efforts to slow immigration. He said several Middle Eastern countries consider homosexuality a crime punishable by death. Read the full story on J Weekly

Regions

#ComingOut

Coming out and living openly as LGBTQ aren’t something you do once, or even for one year. It’s a journey that we make every single day of our lives. Every coming out experience is unique and must be navigated in the way most comfortable for the individual. Read the stories published on our website on this very important topic. We promise,
it gets better.read here >>

Film

In ‘Montana’ (2017), Efi returns to her hometown of Akko following her grandfather’s passing and meets Karen – a teacher, wife and mother of two. The two women instantly form a connection and fall in love. watch the trailer >>

Organization

Communities’ Home serves as a center for the LGBT communities in Haifa and Northern Israel. The center provides a feminist, multicultural, pluralistic space for the various LGBTQ communities. Read more >>